Rogers Communications, the parent company of Sportsnet, and the National Hockey League formally announced a 12-year agreement for the national media rights to NHL games in Canada, on Wednesday, extending the partnership into a multi-decade relationship.

We are thrilled,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said at a press conference held in Toronto. “To announce that the partnership we forged over a decade ago will continue for more than another decade.”

The new deal, worth $11 billion (USD $7.7 billion), will begin with the 2026-27 season, carrying all the way through the 2037-38 campaign. The future agreement comes at the end of the current deal between Rogers and the NHL, which began in 2013, making Sportsnet the exclusive rights holder to Stanley Cup Playoffs. This was the first year that Rogers had an exclusive negotiating period with the NHL.

Bettman confirmed that the negotiations between the two entities were civil and went swimmingly.

“I think we were pretty much on the same page. We had to work a little bit on the money, but that came together as well. In the final analysis, we wanted to be together, and that’s how it came together as quickly as it did.”

The current agreement is reportedly worth over $7 billion (USD $4.9 billion). Bettman says the new contract will allow fans in Canada to view even more games.

“The number one thing we hear from fans is they want even more access to more games,” Bettman said. “This agreement will bring more live games to more fans across the country than ever before.”

Rogers President and CEO Tony Staffieri says fans will have the ability to view games in whatever way they want. Regional blackouts will become a lesser issue with games being placed on a larger platform.

“We’ll deliver more national games and fewer blackouts,” Staffieri said. “We’ll make it available across multiple platforms, giving fans the choice of how they watch their favorite team.”

According to a release, Rogers has secured the right to convert regional broadcasts that Sportsnet carries into national games.

Rogers Sports and Media president Colette Watson admitted that regional broadcast rights for teams like the Toronto Maple Leafs would still be split between Sportsnet and Bell Media’s TSN.

“We don’t see that changing. If you’re a subscriber to Sportsnet today, you will have the Leafs the same way you have them going forward.”

Watson confirmed that there’s an opportunity to convert all regional broadcasts of the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers to national games, along with the Rogers’ half of Leafs broadcasts, along with a few games featuring the Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators.

“You have unlimited rights to bring in U.S. matchups,” Bettman added. “To your hearts’ content, or until fans’ hearts are content.”

Staffieri says the company is open to sub-licensing to other companies, like Amazon Prime Canada, Bell Media and French-speaking networks like RDS and TVAS, is still a possibility, though he didn’t confirm any details.

“Those have been terrific partnerships,” Staffieri said. “As we look to the next 12 years, the agreement with the NHL is that we’ll look to opportunities to continue to sub-license where it makes sense.”

With the end of the current deal after next season, an agreement between Rogers and CBC would also come to a close. Watson assures that the relationship between the two networks has been great and that Rogers is willing to explore a continuing partnership as part of the new deal.

“We like our partnership with, and we value our partnership with the CBC.” Watson said. “Over the next 18 months, we’ll look to see if there’s a continued partnership there.”

Bettman acknowledged the impact CBC has had on the game since it started airing Hockey Night in Canada over seven decades ago.

“We respect what the CBC has brought to the game,” Bettman said. “It is the longest-running program in the history of television in Canada, and I’m certain that our friends at Rogers will make the right decisions and have the right discussions with the people at the CBC.”

All parties were asked about the tensions between Canada and the United States, and how a potential hit to the Canadian economy would affect the new TV deal, if at all.

“I hope that what we’re seeing is a moment in time,” Bettman said. “And things can get back to a normal reality. I have concerns, from a business standpoint for the league, that if the Canadian economy suffers by what’s going on, that will impact the way we have to do business from an economic standpoint. … If the Canadian dollar drops, that will be an issue that we’ll have to deal with.”

“These two countries have had a great cooperation and relationship for a very long time,” Staffieri said. “I’m optimistic that we’ll get through these tariff issues. The bigger issue for us at Rogers is what it means for the broader Canadian economy, and we’ll continue to think about it, be thoughtful about it.”

The deal was originally reported by Sportico’s Scott Soshnick on Monday.